The Meaning of a Name
by entwined-in-a-web
Summary: Ten year old Usnavi asks Abuela Claudia where he got his name from. Just a little cute oneshot. My first In the Heights fic EVER! PLEASE REVIEW!


**A/N: Hi! I just saw In the Heights yesterday and OMG…it's amazing! An absolutely fantastic show! So I was contemplating this one line when Abuela Claudia and Usnavi are discussing his name during "Hundreds of Stories." Thus….this story was born…haha…**

**Enjoy! REVIEW PLEASE! This is my first In the Heights fic EVER!**

**Dedicated to my bff Julie who took me to the show! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own In the Heights because I am not Lin-Manuel Miranda (who is totally AWESOME!) And I don't own the Navy either…lol…**

10-year-old Usnavi quietly walked into Abuela Claudia's small, cluttered apartment after a long day of school. He shut the door lightly and called, "_Hola,_ Abuela."

The old woman walked as quickly as she could into the main room of the apartment where Usnavi had set his books down. "_Ay,_ Usnavi! How was your day at your _escuela?"_

The boy shrugged as he pulled out his folder to get an assignment. "Not much different, Abuela. But fifth grade is hard!"

Abuela laughed, shaking her head. "_Paciecia y fe_, Usnavi. _Paciecia y fe…."_

He nodded, pulling out a paper, which he read out loud. "We're studying our family tree in history class. I have to write a whole paragraph on my name! A whole paragraph!" He reread the paper again. "Abuela, where did I get my name from?"

Abuela Claudia looked from the young boy to the small, framed picture of a young couple with a baby that she always kept nearby.

"_Venido._" She said taking a seat next to Usnavi on the couch. "Come. I'll tell you a story."

* * *

A young couple had boarded a small, shabby boat leaving the Dominican Republic for New York. _Nueva York…_The man thought happily.

He had taken his wife, who was five months pregnant, and left the country for good. They heard that there were jobs in Nueva York, good pay. Enough money to raise a family in a safe environment. The man did not want to raise his child in poverty, like he had been. Wondering even if he would have dinner every night.

The boat began with a rough jolt as their journey began. For days they sat atop the filthy boat, their bright future only a few miles away. They slowly made their way up to the New York Harbor as another large boat sailed past.

The woman was amazed by its large structure, its great strength. She had never seen anything like that in her old island home. She tried her best to read the name, written in white paint that was slowly chipping off.

"_Querido,_ what does that say?" She asked her husband curiously.

He squinted his eyes and read as best he could, "Us..navy…"

"Usnavi?" the woman laughed. "What an odd name!" As she said the name, she could feel the child inside of her kicking in excitement. She gasped in realization. "Usnavi! We will name the child Usnavi!"

Her husband stared at her, quite confused. "You say we shall name our child Usnavi? No. I was named after my papi, he was named after his. The child will be named after me."

"But he likes it…" She said, smiling down at her unborn child. "He likes Usnavi…"

"_Mi amor, _please-"

"The ship Usnavi is great. Strong. Our child will be like that. Our Usnavi…"

The man sighed, giving into his wife's pleading. "_Si. _He shall be named Usnavi… he will be great…he will change the world…" The man smiled and kissed his wife as their small boat pulled into the dock, welcoming them to America.

* * *

"They name me after a boat?" Usnavi asked after hearing Abuela Claudia's story.

"_Si,_ Usnavi. They knew you would be strong, like the large ship they saw. They knew you were special."

"I'm not special, Abuela." The boy protested, closing his folder. "I'm just Usnavi."

The old woman gave him a quick hug. "You _are_ special, _mi amor._ You will change this old barrio some day. I can tell. _Paciecia y fe, _Usnavi. Your parents named you that for a reason."

"Abuela," Usnavi chimed in. "The boat said 'U.S. Navy.' Usnavi doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does, _querido._ It means that you are unique. You are special. You are Usnavi."

The boy smiled and hugged his Abuela before taking out a piece of paper as he began to write his paragraph.

"_Gracias,_ Abuela." he said, his hand flying across the paper.

"Of course, _mi amor."_

**A/N: Awwww! How cute! I wanted to throw Nina in there too, but there was no room, so….yepp….Tell me what you think! Reviews?**


End file.
